


Tea and Swords

by Skeren



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-24
Updated: 2016-02-24
Packaged: 2018-05-23 01:01:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6099688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skeren/pseuds/Skeren
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cid met Zack, then somehow ended up stuck with him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Don't You Dare

**Author's Note:**

> On realizing this had multiple pieces I decided to repost both together for ease on readers who missed one of the compilations they're in.
> 
> Both pieces were originally posted in 2007.

There he was, minding his own business when some no good little brat came into his hangar and tried to pull something funny. He almost hadn't caught it, and was dead certain the kid didn't see him, though a good look at him made him wonder how the hell that could be.

Wasn't like a SOLDIER to be so unobservant. 

Or maybe the brat just plain didn't care he was there and was set to go about doing his own thing anyway. Which could possibly have been the case, but the kid made one serious error in judgement thinking that he'd just let him do as he pleased. He was the head mechanic here, and he was perfectly happy with the task of reminding anyone who forgot that. 

The kid, of course, much like his nebulous sense of awareness of his presence, either didn't know, or didn't care about his status around here. Something he really shouldn't have done when he was well within easy throwing distance of said ignored mechanic. Seeing as he was a SOLDIER, he was damn sure the kid could dodge, catch, or, at the very least, survive a wrench to the head, something which was currently being delivered with a damn fine aim.

"What the fuck you think you're doing to that machine boy?" The shout got the added bonus of the boy giving him a wide-eyed look as he dipped to avoid the metal tool, twisting to look his way. The look turned sheepish right quick, but he couldn't really say he was impressed at the quick recovery, instead just taking a drag off his cig as he straightened up, staring down at the brat on the ground level of the hangar as he waited for him to explain himself. "Well?"

"Nothing much. I just wanted to make a couple adjustments, no biggie." The kid couldn't have been less convincing if he'd stuck his hands in his pockets and started whistling. Though, that could've just been him and his excellent people reading skills.

No biggie his ass. "Like I'm gonna believe that pile of chocobo shit. You just scoot your ass right back out that door and I might pretend I didn't catch you at it if someone asks me. Try it again and next time I'll do a damn sight better to make sure that tool connects with your person, enhanced or not, got it?"

"Yeah, sure, got it. Hey, I'm Zack Fair." How that could make the kid grin, he had no idea, but he hoped that didn't mean the kid wasn't taking him seriously. Just because he could and would do it didn't mean he wanted to waste the time on it.

"Fair huh? Hm. Cid Highwind. Now, beat it, us working folk don't have time to slack off like you SOLDIER brats."

"Hey!" A laugh followed the word and he watched the kid move off, giving a jaunty wave at the doorway. "See you around Cid!" 

He waited until the brat was gone before shaking his head and turned back to the comfortably greasy machinery he'd been dealing with before he'd been interrupted. It only took a second before he cursed, realizing that he had to go down after the wrench if he wanted to finish working with this section of engine.

Fucking brat.


	2. Odd Talks

Usually, he couldn’t pin the man down for any quality time, which sucked, but he could understand why it had to be that way well enough. It’s not like they ever managed to even be in the same place for more than a week at a time, if that, and considering how long it had taken them to even get together in the first place... well, he figured he should be happy with what he got. For now anyway.

Cid was one cranky little guy, but that was cool. He could do cranky, in fact, he even offered up machine talk in turn. His thing was bikes, where Cid’s was flyers, but the fact that he even understood the muttering, and could hear it, went a long way to easing initial tensions.

He had apologized for that.

Eventually.

Right now though, he was lazy, content with the post-sex haze that the blond seemed more than a little determined to smoke off. Fine, though he, personally, thought that the guy smelled better than the tobacco, he wasn’t idiot enough to argue the man doing it near him. Sadly, it was almost a certainty that he would lose if he tried to compete, and the guy really was an awesome person to hang out with.

When a guy could pin him down long enough anyway. 

Like right now for instance. Cid was definitely pinned, what with him being sprawled out over the man’s belly and legs to use him as a pillow. He was also petting his face and was ignoring the baffled look of incredulity on said face as he gave it attention. 

“Boy, what the hell do you think you’re doin?”

Well, he’d been able to ignore it up til then anyway. Grinning, he batted his eyes at the man, not _quite_ mock teasing. “You can’t guess?”

“Yer pettin me like a cat Fair, knock it off. It’s irritatin.”

Shifting his hand away, he leaned his other elbow on the bed by the man’s side and easily met the man’s eyes, grin never fading. “Not like a cat. If I was petting you like a cat, I would have gone for the ears.”

“That’s a dog. Stop grinning like that, it was weird and you know it.”

Waving the hand that he wasn’t leaning on to dismiss the request, he half shrugged. “Yeah, I know it’s weird. I don’t grow beards anymore y’know, haven’t since the year you met me.”

“If you’re gonna call that a beard, I’m going to admit that I’m a frog. That was whiskers. Baby whiskers. What the hell ever happened to those anyway?”

“I dunno. Just woke up one morning without them and they were gone for good.” His hand drifted back towards the older man’s face and he put his finger on his chin. “What do you think, would a beard suit me Cid?”

“No. You’re too girly for a beard to look right on you.”

“I think you’re thinking of someone else there Highwind. I am _not_ girly.”

As the blond took a deep draw off the end of his cigarette, Zack could have sworn a smirk touched the man’s lips. “Sure you’re not Fair. _Sure_ you’re not. If you keep saying that, eventually someone might start believing you.”

“Like you?”

“Nah. I was thinking more like some other one of the folks you spend time with, I’m too smart to get sucked into that ruse. Now. Stop pettin me already unless you want me to do somethin about the results.”

The words made his grin return from the amused smile it had faded into, and he moved his fingers to snatch the remaining bit of nicotine to put it out. “I can live with that. Think you can keep up?” 

“Course I can brat. It’s not like I’m _old_.”

Grin turning into a smirk, he crawled up to kiss the man’s chin. “Sure you’re not. Who knows, if you keep saying it, someone might believe you.”

He didn’t fight it when the man growled and rolled them over, leaning down towards him with narrowed eyes and a false angry expression. “You are such a little brat.”

“Yeah, I try.” This time, the grin didn’t go anywhere for a good long while. 

Then again, it was safe to say he had good reason to keep up the expression.


End file.
